A Sign That You Have a Problem
}} Belkar comes to the startling realization that the Oracle foresaw his own death. Cast * Haley Starshine ◀ ▶ * Belkar Bitterleaf (also sickened) ◀ ▶ * Celia ◀ ▶ * The Oracle of the Sunken Valley (also on a city sign) ◀ ▶ * Two dozen or so kobold villagers living in Lickmyorangeballshalfling Transcript Haley: BELKAR!! Belkar: What? He totally had it coming. Belkar: Now hold his feet, I want to turn his head into a litter box for Mr. Scruffy. Haley: I cannot believe you! I just cannot BELIEVE you! Belkar: Really? Because the whole kobold-head-into-an-object thing is sort of a running gag with me. Haley: You killed the Oracle! Belkar: Yeah, so? He was a kobold! You told me it was OK to kill monsters! Haley: We were gonna get answers! Answers that may have led to getting Roy back! Belkar: Answers that would have been obscure and useless! Haley: The one he gave me wasn't! Haley: He told me not to look the gift horse in the mouth, which I did when I accepted Nale's invitation to dinner without examining my suspicions too closely. Haley: That directly led to me getting my voice back! Belkar: Yeah, but who really cares about your inner turmoil crap anyway? People tune into watch me stab things. Haley: I swear, I'm going to— Belkar: Oh, don't get your thong in a twist, Haley. Come on, we can search for treasure. Belkar: All that meaty character development hasn't made you stop loving treasure, has it? Haley: Fine. But only because we still need money to get Roy raised. Don't think you're off the hook for this yet. Belkar: Yeah, yeah. Celia: Actually, I don't think he's off the hook at all. Celia: Take a look out the back window. Celia stands beside the panoramic back window. The back of Belkar's shaved head in the foreground, the window frames a kobold village just outside, black-clad kobolds milling around grass-roofed round huts nestled amidst a forest with mountains in the background. In the middle of the village is a large billboard with a likeness of the Oracle's head. It reads: Belkar: I don't get it. What does that— The faintest possible outline of the Greater Mark of Justice appears on Belkar's forehead. Belkar: —mean? The Mark grows clearer. Beat. A bright blue magical symbol is distinct on Belkar's alarmed face. The panel turns blue. The mark begins to smoke. Belkar: AAAHHHHH! D&D Context * Greater Mark of Justice is a fictitious spell of unknown level, but based on the published 4th level paladin spell Mark of Justice. Trivia * Belkar receives the Greater Mark of Justice from Lord Shojo shortly after #293 and prior to #294. * A full exposition of the rules of the Greater Mark of Justice is given in #295 (Belkar Leashed) where the mark is revealed on Belkar's forehead by Vaarsuvius. * Belkar turns Yikyik's skull into a "swanky new leather hat" in #63. (He refers to it as such in #69). * Belkar turns Yokyok's skull into a tortilla chip bowl in #358, as well as using his tail and other parts to make extra chunky salsa. * In a later comic, we will see Belkar follow through on his planned use of the Oracle's head in this comic by turning the still-living head of Yukyuk into Mr. Scruffy's litterbox in #835, continuing to embrace the running gag of turning the head of kobolds into "something wacky". External Links * 568}} View the comic * 83441}} View the discussion thread Category:Uses Greater Mark of Justice Category:Return to the Oracle